The Other Side of His World: May 2009

Today was May Day, which is a holiday in China. Wu Xin picked us up on at 9 AM to take us to the village where Mrs. Wu grew up. Once we got out of town, we traveled on the new Interstate, which was very smooth. The speed limit is 100 KMH. We stopped at Ji'an and ate. We had fried rice, greens, and a little fish. As we were leaving, another store next to our restaurant was having their grand opening, which is often accompanied by fireworks. It was so loud I finally had to get out of the way.

Soon we arrived at Zeng Jia Fang, which translates as Zeng Family Village. This is the village where Claire's mother grew up. It was populated by the Zeng Clan. As you can see there were many mud brick dwellings and buildings.

I enjoyed looking at all the window and door shapes.....

......And the handmade items hanging on the walls.

There were also many stylish traditional gray brick homes built during the Qing Dynasty, 1644-1912.

The doors on these brick buildings were very solid and handmade. Note the opening at the foot of the door on the right was for pet access.

I found these locks and bolts to be interesting.

In many places the distance between the buildings was very narrow.

There were very few young people left in the village, having mostly moved to the city. We mainly saw the elderly as we walked through what seemed to be a mostly deserted village. We had come to see a village, but also to see some of the Claire's relatives. We spent most of out time with Zeng Shao Li and his wife. As was tradition in their time, their marriage was arranged while they were still in the womb. They were wed when they were fourteen and are still together sixty-four years later......and they still seem pretty healthy...even though he is a chain smoker!

Mrs. Zeng showed us her kitchen, which is separated from the main house, just like colonial homes in America.

The stove design looked to be quite ancient, but seemed to burn wood efficiently.

Basically, this was the way meals had been cooked for centuries.

Across from the kitchen was Mr. Zeng's tool shed. Don't ask what these tools do.

Claire pointed out these whisk brooms made from bamboo.

Next, we were taken to the home that Claire's mother grew up in. It was really neat, and you could tell that it had been a fine home in its day. The words above the door translate to "Heaven Showering Down Blessings".

I was amazed at all the hand painted ceramic tiles around the eaves of the home.

I wish I could have gotten high enough to take better pictures of these tiles.

Wu Xin and Uncle Zeng Shao Li discussed the home's history while standing between the two main buildings. Uncle Zeng Shao Li actually lived in this home at one time.

Inside the living quarters was very dark now. No one had lived there for quite some time.

Across from the living quarters was the kitchen and dining area, which was locked.

The doors were accented with hand carved bats. The Chinese word "fu", when spoken can mean either bat or blessings, so it has good connotations in China.

One can notice white places on the outside of the building.

These were where political slogans were plastered in the past.

From there we went down to the village ancestral building. Along the way, I noticed an interesting doorway with resident dogs and chickens.

There is no public water in this village, but most homes have their own pump.

At the bottom of the hill was a pond with a story. Before the Japanese overran this area during WWII, Claire's grandmother and grandfather fled the village and were given charge of the family wealth. During the escape, the wealth was stolen. Upon returning Claire's grandmother was condemned by her mother-in-law for losing the family wealth. Had not the family patriarch stepped in and stopped his wife, Claire's grandmother would have been drowned in this pond.

Today, this pond is used by some to wash clothes.

Across from the pond is the village well, being the only well in the past.

Fronting the pond is the village ancestral building. Claire's grandparents names are listed inside.

On the way back to Uncle Zeng Shao Li's home, we stopped and visited another one of Claire's great uncles.

Back at Uncle Zeng Shao Li's home, we got to meet his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson.

The kids got to snack on some fruit.

Uncle Zeng Shao Li's family was very good to us, and we felt like family.

We enjoyed watching the feathered vacuum cleaners take care of the fruit pealings.

The fowl had the run of the grounds. This chicken and duck seemed to be partners.

Before we left for dinner and for home, I took a Zeng family picture

.......in Zeng Family Village.

Someone asked what are the supermarkets like in China? Well, they are similar to ours, but the products are different. You will find some things that you are familiar with, but some things will be missing, while others will be just a little different. No butter, no mayo, yes ketchup, yes chocolate. Now this is Xinyu.....the bigger the city, the more the options. But for Chinese, they have everything they want and more.

But these supermarkets are boring compared to the fresh markets....that is where the fun is.

There are tons of fresh veggies.......

Straight from the fields.....every kind you can imagine....some you know....

And some you do not.....like the broad bean.

All kinds of fresh fruit.....

Melons,

Pineapples,

Tangerines,

Plums,

Berries,

And even durian, the king of fruit....some say, but not me.

With a smell like it has, I would call for the "king" to be exiled to Antarctica.

Spices are everywhere, and there are many kinds.

Ground dried red hot peppers....smokin'.

Ginger, garlic, and others.....

Plus all kinds of nuts and seeds to eat.....

.....and seaweed and kelp....

Along with fried tofu of many different shapes.

You can also buy raw eggs....and not just from a chicken.

Or you can buy tea-stained and salted hard-boiled eggs with sticky rice, ready to eat.

The fresh markets always have lots of sea and freshwater food,

like these small live eels.....

And these larger, teethy sea-monsters.

There are squids.

And even frogs.

And different kinds of fish, like carp, which is a Chinese favorite,

and these aggressive bass-like fish.

And if you like, it can be processed as you watch.

You can even choose the piece you like instead of buying the whole fish.

Don't forget some turtle to make some soup with.

Can you blame this one for trying to make a break?

Pick up a few chickens while you are there.

You can have them processed while you wait, too,

But you might not want to watch.

or maybe a duck to be used in making some Beijing Duck,

or as I like to call it, a duck burrito.

These little guys are called black-boned chickens,

and their meat is black, too.

And the end result is.....well you've seen this before.

There is lots of beef and pork ready to be taken home,

but don't waste your time looking for hamburger meat in Xinyu.

I have already wasted enough for both of us.

This is the butcher's main tool in China....it is razor sharp.

Of course you have to pay for what you get, but first it must be weighed. I saw some electronic scales, but I think they perfer doing things the old way,